Let’s make Chinese New Year Greener: Say No to Shark Fins

Let’s make Chinese New Year Greener: Say No to Shark Fins

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and lots of Malaysians are gearing up for the days-long festivities. The festive spirit of New Year will pay homage to the idea of renewal, yet sadly some time-honored old practices are bound to persist across Malaysia. Take the use of disposable…

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

An endangered Malayan tapir was killed in a road accident, then it was presently skinned and dismembered by several men who decided to retrieve its body parts. Around the same time, over the Christmas holidays, an endangered Malayan sun bear, too, was run down and killed in a road accident….

‘Protect Sharks Better’ in Sarawak

‘Protect Sharks Better’ in Sarawak

The juvenile zebra shark was recently on sale at a market stall in Miri, Sarawak. When Iqbal Abdollah, chairman of the local branch of the Malaysian Nature Society, saw it, he instantly knew there was a problem. This species is listed as “endangered” on the IUCN’s Red List. Therefore, it should…

Environmentalists: Put ECRL on Hold

Environmentalists: Put ECRL on Hold

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) will connect Port Klang on the east coast with Kuantan Port on the west coast before winding its way north along the coast all the way to Kota Baru in the north. The RM55 billion project will be a boon to travelers and commuters…

NGOs: Hands off Ulu Muda!

NGOs: Hands off Ulu Muda!

The Ulu Muda forest reserve is a 160,000-hectare hotspot of biodiversity in Kedah and one of the largest swathes of lowland dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia. Its wildlife boasts well over a hundred species of mammals, including Asian elephants, Malayan tigers, Malayan tapirs, Malayan sun bears, gaur and flying squirrels….

Poachers Beware! Malaysian Wildlife Officials may soon be Packing Heat

Poachers Beware! Malaysian Wildlife Officials may soon be Packing Heat

Wildlife rangers in Malaysia are regularly understaffed and underfunded. At times they are also outgunned. This, though, may be just about to change. “Hunters go to the forest carrying guns, but our people carry parang (a machete-style knife),” Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar explained in a…

Malaysia’s Wetlands: The Silent Crisis

Malaysia’s Wetlands: The Silent Crisis

When people think of the Malaysian wilderness, they likely imagine dense jungles, picturesque islands, beautiful white sand beaches and colorful coral reefs.  These are defining characteristics of the natural environment in Malaysia and should be celebrated and protected, but so should another vitally important and somewhat lesser-known landscape – wetlands….

Wetland Conservation in Malaysia

Wetland Conservation in Malaysia

One might think first of jungles, oceans and islands when picturing Malaysia’s varied wilderness, but one of the most critical and widespread habitats in the country are actually its wetlands.  Unique amongst other landscapes, wetlands act as filtration systems and provide stability for many different ecosystems – but just like…